The present invention relates to a variable configuration exercise machine, that is to say, an exercise machine that can be adjusted in accordance with the characteristics of the user and/or exercises performed by the user on the machine.
For the performance of physical activities such as, for example, different types of exercises in gymnasiums, rehabilitation centers and similar locations, the traditional type of devices, such as barbells, dumb-bells, etc., have been coupled to more complex exercise machines and correlated to their use.
The latter envisage a basic frame to which means are connected for physical effort by the user, such as for example a bar or handles or levers, connected to a load that supplies a resistance to the physical effort.
The user sits on a seat or other support (a bench for example) and from this position the user performs a series of exercises tailored to the type of sport or rehabilitative movement performed.
Currently the seat can be adjusted by the user, for example in height, so that the distance between the seat and bar or handles can be suitably changed. Basically this adjustment is a manual one and must be carried out each time in accordance with a change of exercise or for a different user.
This characteristic can considerably affect the positive effects of the exercises because in order to perform the excerises properly the seat must be adequately positioned (or other machine parts that are also adjustable, such as levers) in accordance with the individual""s measurements. For this reason an instructor may need to follow different phases of a training session step by step in order to explain to the user how to keep correct posture while performing the exercises. This also holds true if the same user performs different exercises with the same machine.
Moreover, having to adjust the seat or other exercise machine parts may be a nuisance, especially bearing in mind that gym activities are usually recreational and relaxing activities.
These and other aims are all achieved by the present invention which provides an exercise machine designed to position the machine in its most suitable configuration for performing an exercise both automatically and by means of reading data relative to the user and/or the exercises to be performed, the data memorized on a portable medium.
One of the advantages of the present invention is that the machine is self-adjusting, thanks to the fact that specific protocol data are linked with a specific user and/or a specific exercise (or series of exercises), so that the machine adapts the relative positioning between its posture portion and its machine portion in accordance with a specific protocol relative to the user and/or to the exercise to be performed.